Camping with trolls
by sehellys
Summary: It was a harmless camping trip for Estel - until the mountain trolls attacked
1. Chapter 1

**Camping with trolls**

_Approx.. III 2944, close to the borders of Rivendell_

Darkness was falling over their camp, but their little fire burned brightly and did its best to keep the lengthening shadows at bay. Despite the valiant light the youngest of their company kept glancing at the dense underbrush around him, whenever he thought his brothers might not notice. It was a vain hope, of course, for little escaped their elven eyes.

"I wonder what is bothering our little brother", Elrohir whispered to his brother, quiet enough to make sure mortal ears wouldn't overhear the question.

Estel had long been looking forward to this trip. It was his first venture outside the borders of Rivendell and it had taken him ages to convince his father to let him go. It was only when Elladan and Elrohir had supported his request and promised to look after their little brother themselves, that the elven lord had relented.

The twins had understood Estel's desire to see the world outside of his elven home. The world was vast and full of wondrous mysteries to the little_ adan_. And yet, now that he was here, there was no sign of excitement or lust for adventure in his big grey eyes.

Elladan simply shrugged his shoulders, not sure of the answer to his brother's question. "I assume it might have been Adar's warnings," he offered.

His younger brother barely refrained from rolling his eyes at the mention of Lord Elrond's never-ending list of dangerous creatures that he had told Estel to be aware of. The impressive directory of dangerous beings had been long and thorough, spanning from wolves and bears to orcs, wargs and spiders.

"What was he thinking? Half of the beasts he mentioned have not been seen close to our borders in centuries." There was a clear note of exasperation in Elrohir's voice and it became increasingly difficult to keep his voice low enough that their human brother would not notice their discussion. "He even mentioned dragons!"

Estel had, however, noticed his brothers' discussion by now and was mustering them with a distinctly uneasy expression on his young face.

'He is probably wondering if we have heard something out in the forest that he has not', Elladan mused, inwardly cursing their father's over-protectiveness. His well-meant warning had likely tripled Estel's list of known dangers (which was already extensive, thanks to Erestor who was equally inclined to worry about the little human) and now their youngest brother assumed those perils lurked everywhere.

It was time, the oldest of the brothers decided, for a distraction.

"Would you like to hear a story Estel?"

The tension left the _adan's_ shoulders at the question – surely his brother would not be telling him a story if their camp was surrounded by warg riders. He tore his gaze away from the lengthening shadows and fixed it instead on the older twin's face.

The sparkle of excitement wasn't quite back in his eyes, but Elladan was sure he would be able to tell his brother a story that would put his worried mind at ease.

"It was during a cold winter many years ago when Elrohir and I were returning to Rivendell. We had spent most of that year with the rangers and had planned to return to _Imladris_ for the Winter Solstice. But the winter had come early that year and with unusual force and we were stuck in a snow storm for several days.

Elladan halted his story as much to stir the pot of rabbit stew that was simmering over the fire as for dramatic effect. The forest had fallen silent, seemingly as intent to listen to the story as Estel.

"Once the snow fall finally subsided we set out once more," Elladan continued, "only to stumble upon an unusual amount of warg prints in the fresh snow."

Next to his twin Elrohir suddenly groaned audibly as he realized just which story Elladan was about to tell. He chose not to dwell on the fact that they had clearly travelled through too many snow storms under similar circumstances or else he might have recognized the story earlier.

"Do you really plan on telling him _that_ story?", the younger twin asked disbelievingly, increasing Estel's desire to hear the story even more: "The story about how you fell into a frozen lake?"

Elladan looked at his brother with an unreadable expression: "No _gwador_, I was going to skip that part and tell Estel instead how I saved you from that big warg with a perfect shot between its eyes. Legolas would have been proud."

"Aye, he would have been", Elrohir admitted: "of course you would not have had to save me had I not lost my sword while trying to fish you out of the freezing waters."

"Exactly," Elladan declared with finality, "I was going to tell Estel the story of how we found a band of wargs in the snow-covered wilderness and how I saved my foolish little brother who tried to face them unarmed."

Across from them Estel had a hard time stifling his laughter. He had always enjoyed the twin's playful bickering, and this time, like often before, it had helped to erase all troubles from his mind.

"Next time remind me to use your sword to try and rescue...", Elrohir muttered under his breath, but broke off abruptly as his sharp ears picked up a deep rumble. One look at his twin was enough to convince him that he wasn't mistaken – Elladan had heard it, too.

"What is happening?", Estel had clearly felt the shift in the mood and was anxious to find out what his brothers had heard that had escaped his human senses. He did not need to wait for answers though, as the next rumble was close enough for even him to hear. It was like thunder in the distance, but it travelled along the ground and seemed to be nearing their position, and quickly.

There was only one creature capable of making noises like a rockslide in slow motion: mountain trolls.

_**A/N:**__ The first chapter is a bit short but this seemed like the perfect spot to stop. (yes, I'm evil like that) Please tell me what you think and if you would like to read more. Thank you._


	2. Chapter 2

**Camping with Trolls**

_**chapter 2**_

And while Estel came to that horrifying conclusion, his brothers had already jumped into action. Elrohir quickly doused their fire and went to throw their unfinished stew into the nearby ravine, so that its smell would not attract the giant beasts.

Elladan turned to his littlest brother: "Estel. I need you to return to the horses, make sure they are ready to ride and wait for us." It was important to give the boy a task, something that he could control and focus on, something that would distract him from the panic that might otherwise consume him.

Estel gave his brother a determined nod and turned away. Their elven horses were well-trained and there was little chance that they would bolt if not in immediate danger, but sending Estel to them meant he would be off the clearing – the clearing that Elladan by now knew to be the target of the approaching trolls. Their heavy footfalls were so close now that the ground shook beneath their feet, as if the world itself was shivering in fear.

Elrohir returned and drew his sword as he moved into position next to his twin: "Where is Estel?"

"I sent him to the horses to wait for us."

But even as he said those words, he realized that they would not have the time to join their little brother and ride away from the danger. The footsteps of the trolls were too close now,. Already he could hear wood splintering and could see how the trees at the edge of the clearing groaned and gave way to the massive bulk of two mountain trolls. The beasts, while colossal, could move with astonishing speed if something drove them and from their current position they would well be able to reach Estel before he or Elrohir did.

There was only one thing they could do now, distract the beasts from their little brother and hope he would stay safe.

Elrohir must have come to the same conclusion as he lifted his sword and thoughtfully gazed along its length at the approaching calamities. "Trolls", he said with surprising calmness: "were they even on Ada's list?"

"I am not sure, I must have stopped listening somewhere after enraged badger."

The moment of playful banter was short-lived as time ran out. One of the trolls stopped to sniff the air, possibly catching onto the smell of horses, and maybe human.

As one the twins charged forward.

In an unspoken agreement, they split up to attack one of the trolls each,. While more risky, they had to make sure they got both trolls' attention. Elladan found himself hoping that Estel would have realized the danger he was in and that he would have left with his horse, but he knew his brother would not have done so. The young _adan_ would wait for his elven brothers just like Elladan had told him to do; he would not leave them behind. Chances were that even if his oldest brother had ordered him to leave the stubborn human would have refused.

With the stealth born of their elven heritage it was easy enough for the twins to reach the trolls side without being spotted, yet that was not their primary goal. The trolls' hides were too thick to be pierced by arrows, except for those shot at very close proximity, and taking them down with a single surprise attack was a vain hope. No, there was little they could do with stealth right now. Or little they could do at all, Elladan mused darkly, but discarded the thought instantly as he instead lifted his sword up and viciously brought it down against the back of one of the creature's legs.

The impact of the sword on the rough skin of the troll left his muscles screaming in protest, but the roar of the monstrosity told him that he had definitely gotten its attention. He quickly sidestepped a retaliatory sweep of the troll's hand and spun around to lure the creature further away from this place, further away from Estel.

He turned back just in time to evade another attempt of the beast to grab him and delivered a ruthless cut to the creature's palm instead. The troll howled in pain as he clutched his injured hand to its chest, but was quick to chase after Elladan once more, no hint of the usual clumsiness of trolls.

These trolls were fast, and Elladan thought drily, unusually far away from their normal hunting grounds. Mountain trolls had not been spotted in the forests around _Imladris_ in over a _yen_. But the shadow was growing everywhere in Middle Earth. It was one of the reasons that Elrond preferred to keep Estel within the borders of the hidden valley.

Elladan swore silently as he barely managed to evade another attack. It was time to get off this clearing and into the surrounding forest, where the trees might slow down his bulky adversary.

Further away on his right side, he could see Elrohir also trying to lure the second troll towards the forest. But even as he was watching, Elrohir was too slow to dodge an attack of the beast behind him. Although the sweep of the stony limb didn't hit him fully, the younger twin was lifted off his legs and thrown against one of the trees he had sought to use as cover.

Elrohir collided painfully with the unforgiving wood and slid to the ground, unmoving.

Without conscious thought Elladan halted in his tracks and spun around, drawing his sword in one swift motion, to face the mountain troll behind him. The troll stumbled to a halt, momentarily confused by the unexpected move of his quarry, but Elladan did not care. He was focusing only on getting to his brother's side, even if he had to go through a mountain troll to do so.

However, before he could strike, he saw Elrohir slowly rising to his feet. And even though the younger twin was relying heavily on the tree behind him for support, his gaze was firm when he met Elladan's. He shook his head slightly, hoping that it would be enough to stop his brother from his suicidal notion of attacking a fully grown mountain troll head on. He could see Elladan waver with indecision for a moment and decided not to wait around for his twin to make the only sensible choice. Elladan could not always be relied upon to be sensible when one of his siblings was in danger.

The troll was still advancing on him and in one swift motion Elrohir ducked behind the tree he was leaning against, moving through the forest as fast as his aching body would allow. He was intent on luring the troll towards the nearby ravine, where the bed of the river Bruinen lay a good 25 feet below the rest of the land. A fall from that height might not be enough to kill a mountain troll, but it would slow it down and maybe could do so long enough for the sun to rise.

The crashing of breaking trees and the rumbling of the shaking ground grew louder as the troll gained on him. That extra speed could work in his favour; if the beast would not see the looming cliff in time, its own momentum would propel it over the edge. Keeping one hand firmly pressed to his aching ribs, Elrohir tried to mobilize his strength and increase his speed. Moving closer to the trees in the hope that they would slow down his pursuer, gained him a few precious seconds and finally he broke through the last line of trees and onto the short plateau that bordered the cliff.

He kept running towards it in a straight line, acutely aware of the closeness of the troll behind him, until at the last moment he spun to the side and stopped.

But the beast had seen the danger and had slowed down enough to avoid a tumble to the waters of the churning river. Instead, it lifted its arm to crush the troublesome elf in front of him once and for all. Elrohir threw himself to the side, barely avoiding the deathly blow, but his ribs protested sharply at the sudden move.

His plan had failed, and in his current condition he stood little chance against the mountain troll. Even if he could keep the beast at bay with his sword, he would not be able to push so heavy an opponent over the cliff himself - and this troll did not seem inclined to do him the favour of jumping. Not for the first time that night Elrohir wondered at the intellect of the creature before him. Mountain trolls were not usually known for being so aware of traps.

The time for such musings was cut short as the troll attacked again. Lifting his sword just in time Elrohir deflected the blow and left a deep cut along the arm of the big creature, but the force of the blow drove him to his knees. Black blood was slowly oozing from the gash alongside the creatures arm, yet it did not deter it from its attack.

Elrohir realized glumly that he was running out of options and, quite possibly, out of time.

_Tálagor_, he suddenly realized, yes, his horse would have the strength to push the troll over the cliff. Or at the very least it could distract the beast long enough to allow them to retreat. And if Estel had prepared the horses for a hasty departure his steed would be unbound. He whistled shrilly, hoping against hope that the wind would carry the call to his horse and that the steed would be fast enough to reach his side.

The troll covered its ears against the high pitch sound, but it served only to renew its anger and it attacked with unabated viciousness.

-oOo-

_**to be continued**_

_**A/N:**__ I would like to thank everyone who has read and especially those of you who have reviewed. It means so much to me to know that you like it or what you thought (and it keeps the plot bunnies happy). Thank you!  
Please drope me a line and tell me what you thought about chapter 2?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Camping with Trolls**

_**chapter 3**_

Estel stroked the nose of his horse, trying to calm the animal as much as himself. _Rochfast_ was a young stallion, which the twins had given him for his 10th birthday, when he had outgrown his pony. They had also given the horse its name, saying that it would fit its rider's unkempt hair.

Estel looked at the other two horses that were standing next to his, their ears were turned away from him in an effort to stay aware of the trolls' location and, possibly, hoping to hear their own riders' return.

"They will come", Estel told them, trying to convince the horses as much as himself. Worry was gnawing at his heart; his brothers should have joined him long before now. He had heard stories about mountain trolls and had never wished to actually see one in the wild. His brothers were skilled warriors, he knew, even Glorfindel had said so, after looking over his shoulder multiple times to make sure they were not around to hear him. And still, Estel did not think that they would willingly choose to attack two of the beasts at the same time. Knowing when to fight and when not to, was one of a warrior's most important skills, Glorfindel always liked to say. So where were his brothers?

While he pondered the question, the horses suddenly lifted their heads as if they had heard something. Before Estel even had a chance to wonder what that sound might have been, Elrohir's horse reared suddenly and the young human lost his grip on the horse's reins. _Tálagor_ took two steps backwards while still on his hind legs, then turned around and raced away into the forest.

Not quite sure what had just happened Estel just stared after his brother's retreating horse, shocked_._ His own horse and Elladan's were starting to fidget and get restless. Hastily he grabbed their reins tighter while he pondered what to do next.

Elladan had told him to stay with the horses and to wait for his brothers' return, but now that _Tálagor_ had run away he could no longer fulfil that request. He had to get Elrohir's horse back.

The decision made, Estel lost no time. He tied Elladan's horse, _Belroch_, to the saddle of his own horse and swung himself into the saddle. He hardly needed to press his legs into _Rochfast's_ sides and the horse set off after its disappearing companion.

-oOo-

Elrohir jumped to the side and out of reach of the foot that was trying to trample him into the ground. Using the momentum to roll over the ground and bring a few more precious yards between himself and the looming troll, he came to his feet again close to the edge of the forest. The troll was looking at him with a weirdly calculating look and Elrohir couldn't help but wonder what he saw. He was probably a sorry sight, the younger twin mused, apart from the scrapes he had received from his unhappy acquaintance with the tree earlier, he had collected quite a few more bruises from when an attack of the troll had gotten too close. He was breathing heavily now and every breath he took send a sharp stab of pain though his side, suggesting that he might indeed have broken one of his ribs earlier. Elrohir grabbed his sword tighter, disconcertingly aware of how much heavier his blade seemed. He would not much longer have the power to counter or even avoid the troll's attacks.

But even as he thought that, the welcome sound of hooves upon dry forest ground reached his ears. His personal cavalry had arrived.

With newfound strength he lifted his sword and lunged at the troll, using its momentary confusion to duck beneath its burly legs and strike against the soft backside of its knees. The blow was enough to make the creature stumble as it turned around trying to grab the annoyingly nimble elf. Its shaky steps had brought it again close to the edge of the ravine just as _Tálagor_ erupted from the forest and galloped over the small plateau. The horse had been trained in battle and did not hesitate to come to its rider's aid. Rearing up on its hind legs before the stony beast, Elrohir's stallion rammed his front hooves into the creature's chest.

The attack unbalanced the troll further but it was not enough to send him over the edge. Teetering on the very rim of the ravine, the troll lifted his arm high to strike at his new assailant. A blow that _Tálagor _had no chance to escape. But before the mountain troll could bring his heavy limb down upon the horse an arrow came out of the darkness of the night and bounced off the thick hide on the beast's brow.

It did not do much damage, but the troll raised its second hand up to investigate the spot on its forehead where the projectile had hit and in doing so upset its delicate balance on the edge of the cliff. Slowly but unavoidably it fell backwards until, with a deafening roar of defeat, the monstrous beast dropped from sight.

As _Tálagor_ trotted up to him and gently nudged him in the chest to make sure that he was alright, Elrohir turned around to search the shadows of the trees to find out where the arrow had come from.

"Estel", he exclaimed when the young boy rode into view, _Belroch_ following dutifully behind him. Elrohir was not quite sure whether to scold the boy for riding into danger or to thank him for saving his life. Deciding that he would make that decision later, he waited for his young brother to reach his side.

"Are you alright?", there was nervousness and real concern in Estel's voice. He had shot an arrow many times before, but never against a threat quite as real and big as the troll he had just sent stumbling off a cliff.

Elrohir's only answer was a brief nod as he swung himself into _Tálagor's_ saddle not wanting to start an in-depth discussion of his well-being at the moment.

"We should look for Elladan", he said instead, easily diverting his brother's attention to what was really important right now.

Trolls were not silent creatures and now that one of them had been dealt with, it was not hard to locate the other by the sound it made. With Estel following on behind him, carefully lectured to stay behind and clear of the danger, Elrohir set out to search for his twin.

_**-oOo-**_

_**To be continued**_

_**A/N:**__ Another short chapter I'm afraid, I promise the next one (which will be the last) will be longer. I'm working on it as we speak, but I'm sure it would go faster if you would send me a review :)_

_Please, please, please, tell me what you think? _


	4. Chapter 4

**Camping with Trolls**

**Chapter 4**

Elladan was exhausted. The sky, barely visible though the dense foliage of the forest was turning a brighter shade of blue as morning approached, suggesting that he had spent the largest part of the night trying to evade the troll's attacks unscathed. He had not entirely succeeded in that task – though - and already colourful bruises were beginning to form on his arms and face.

When Elrohir had turned into the forest and out of his field of vision, Elladan had grudgingly accepted the fact that it would be foolish to attack the troll in front of him head-on. Using the fact that the troll had still been surprised by his unexpected actions, Elladan had spun around again and ran for the trees. The crashing of wood splintering behind him had been a clear indication that the stony creature was indeed following him.

Elladan had run ahead until he had found a suitable spot to attack. A small clearing, barely large enough to hold the fully grown troll, surrounded by thick old trees gave him the advantage he would need. The older twin had taken to the trees, using the cover of leaves to escape the troll's watchful eyes and to prepare his counter attack.

When the big beast had come crushing into the clearing Elladan had pounced. Dropping from the tree he had been hiding in, he had used the momentum of the fall to burrow his sword deeply in the troll's shoulder. The creature had roared in pain and had swatted at him with its large hands as if he was an irritating fly.

Barely able to avoid the onslaught of the enraged limbs, Elladan had retrieved his blade from the troll's flesh, but before he could land a blow against the creature's more vulnerable throat, one of the hands had made contact and Elladan was flung off the beast's shoulder. Landing on his back and trying to take as much force out of the impact as possible by rolling to his feet Elladan had regained his footing - just in time to evade the smash of a heavy foot that had thought to crush him.

Too far from the trees to search for their cover again, Elladan had had little room to move as the troll followed up the attack of his foot with a smashing blow of his fist. Earth and debris had sprayed forth from where the heavy stoke had shattered the forest floor and had rained down on Elladan who had had just enough time to sidestep the attack.

Standing right next to the retreating arm, the older twin had grasped his opportunity. With one nimble jump he had landed upon the arm of the troll and ran up its length to get another shot at embedding his sword in the creature's throat. But the thick blood oozing from the wound on the beast's shoulder made the limb slippery and before he had been able to reach his goal the fast movement of the troll made Elladan lose his footing. Trying to avoid being thrown to the unyielding floor, Elladan had driven his sword into the thick skin on the troll's arm and while the blade drew a deep line across the length of the burly limb it slowed the twin's descent.

The troll had stepped around aimlessly then, enraged and unsettled by the sudden pain in his arm. One of his aimless strides had hit the elf at his feet and thrown him back beneath the trees nearby. Sensing his opportunity, the troll had tried to follow his prey, but the thick limbs of the trees between himself and Elladan had slowed him down too much. With a mighty crack the bark of the nearest tree had splintered, but already the elf had been back on its feet and had quickly disappeared up the nearest tree once more.

For what felt like hours Elladan had kept up this technique: hiding in the trees to wait for his opportunity to strike and trying to avoid the troll's counterattacks. But as time had worn on, the troll had destroyed more and more of the trees surrounding the small clearing and Elladan's cover had all but disappeared.

The troll was bleeding from multiple deep gashes across its gnarled body, but the older twin had not been able to strike at a vital spot. Already the fatigue in his arms made it difficult to keep a firm grip on his sword and he ran out of energy to constantly dodge another of the troll's vicious attacks. At the moment one careless step of the beast might be enough to be his undoing.

He tried his best to sidestep the next sweep of the troll's arm, but was an instant too late. The heavy limb collided with his side and lifted him off his feet. His sword was knocked from Elladan's grip and flew through the air until it embedded itself deeply in the forest floor, well out of his reach. Elladan himself landed a few feet the other way, groaning as he made contact with the rough ground yet again.

"Elladan!"

The older twin was not sure if he had actually heard his brother's voice or if it was a figment of his imagination conjured up by despair as he saw the troll bearing down on him. It would be within striking distance in mere moments and Elladan knew that he would not have time enough to rise to his feet and evade the attack.

A sudden flash of steel caught his eye and in the next moment his own sword was embedding itself deep in the troll's throat. The creature sluggishly raised an arm to the injury and sank to one knee as the pain of the wound overwhelmed it. Turning away from the stricken troll, Elladan saw Elrohir standing at the edge of the clearing, panting heavily from the exertion of throwing his brother's sword at the creature with enough force to penetrate its thick hide.

"Elladan!", Estel was dismounting his horse and ran over to his fallen brother, heedless of the danger the troll might still prove to be. But before Elrohir could hold him back the first rays of the rising sun pierced the little clearing and with a sound like melting rocks the mountain troll turned into solid stone.

Estel halted in his dash, overwhelmed by the display.

"I thought that was just a story", he breathed, awed.

"Have you ever known Erestor to exaggerate, little brother?", Elladan asked. The twin had gotten back to his feet and was now standing beside his human brother, looking thoughtfully at the stone troll before him.

"Only when he is complaining about Glorfindel's flaws", Elrohir answered the question, though the playful tone he was aiming for was ruined by the painful hiss at the end of his words. Elladan was at his twin's side in an instant, helping his brother to sit down on a nearby overturned tree that had been the victim of the troll's rampage.

Frowning at the way Elrohir was holding his side and his laboured breathing, Elladan set out to gently inspect his brother's injuries.

"Estel, the healing supplies", he ordered quietly and the young man jumped into action. Elladan lifted Elrohir's tunic and was not surprised to see the array of deep purple bruises covering the left side of his twin's torso. Probing the integrity of the bones under his fingers Elladan looked up to meet his brother's gaze.

"You should not have been riding with this", he chided gently, knowing that some of the broken ribs had moved out of alignment and would be difficult and painful to reset. Elladan chose not to dwell on the fact that the ride could have done enough damage to make one of the broken bones puncture his twin's lung.

"I had a promise to keep", Elrohir replied calmly and there was a teasing smile ghosting around his lips as he looked up at the stone troll before them. Elladan followed his brother's gaze and groaned audibly as he found the source of Elrohir's amusement.

His sword was still buried deep within the bulky creature that had now turned completely into stone. Just as Elrohir had said before all of this began, he had indeed sacrificed Elladan's own sword this time to save his slightly older brother.

Estel dropped their bag of healing supplies next to his eldest brother and as he followed their gaze he too noticed the sword stuck in the stone. He gave Elladan a firm nod, a twinkle of adventure in his eye.

Leaving the older twin to take care of Elrohir, he set out to climb the tall "statue". Elladan shook his head in amusement at the youth's energy and enthusiasm, so shortly after the terror of the night's events. Carefully he set Elrohir's ribs and bound them tightly, grateful that Estel's antics at least gave his twin something else to focus on besides the painful ministrations.

"Look", Elrohir said and Elladan turned around just in time to see his youngest brother grasp the hilt of his sword with a determined expression. Scrunching his face up in concentration, Estel tensed his muscles and with one tug the blade slid free of its stony prison.

"Like a true king", Elrohir commented. Elladan whirled around to look at his twin again and found, beneath the sparkle of mirth in his twin's eye also the deep desire to have his words come true - to see their brother crowned king and know the evil defeated once and for all.

"Aye. A true king.", Elladan agreed. Then he quickly focused on finishing his brother's treatment as Estel walked up behind them, Elladan's sword held in his hand like a token of victory.

"Thank you Estel", the older twin said as he took the sword from his human brother. The boy was positively beaming with pride and it gladdened his elven brothers' hearts that the memory of this night would not be tainted by the horror of facing live mountain trolls, but would be about his skill at retrieving Elladan's sword.

"Well done Estel.", Elrohir said: "Now that you have returned Elladan's sword to him, I'm sure he won't mind if you continue your healer's training by taking a good look at his injuries."

Elladan groaned loudly and threw a disbelieving look at his brother, but Elrohir chose to ignore him. He could not take care of Elladan's injuries himself, which seemed to be mostly scrapes and bruises, but he could supervise Estel doing it. Their young brother would learn something and Elladan was less likely to declare himself 'fine' if it meant to bereave Estel of the opportunity to help.

It did not take too long or too much unnecessary prodding until Elladan's injuries, too, were bound. And the three sons of Elrond were happy to leave the clearing and the stone troll that would forever grace its centre behind as they turned their horses towards home.

The End

_A/N: Inspired by this line in Lord of the Rings: "Trolls were abroad, no longer dull-witted, but cunning and armed with dreadful weapons." (even though my trolls did not end up having weapons ;o) )_

_So there you have it, it took some time to get the last chapter up and for that I apologize. Thanks to everyone who stuck with it and especially those of you that left a review – your comments mean the world to me._

_And please, do drop me a line and let me know how you liked the ending or the overall story._


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